Improvement in steam-plows



J. W. FAWKES.

Steam-Plow.

7 No. 3 g Patgnt-ed Dec 10, 1861.

N. PETERS, FMOTO-LITMOGRAPNER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIcE.

J. W. FAWVKES, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-PLOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,882, datedDecember'lO, 1861.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, J. W. FAWKES, of Decatur, in the county of Macon andState of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Steam-Plow and I dohereby declare that the following is afull,clear, and exact descriptionof thesame, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a partof this specification, in which- Figure l is a sideview of my invention,and Fig. 2 a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the twofigures.

This invention consists in combining a stationary and a traction enginewith plows or excavators, substantially as hereinafter fully shown anddescribed, whereby the plows are drawn along through the soil when. theengine is stationary, the power being applied direct to the plows, andthe latter drawn up to the machine or engine, the latter being thenconverted into a traction engine, and propelled along while the plowsare stationary, in order that the plows may be again drawn forward bythe engine after the same is converted into a stationary one.

The invention is more especially designed for performing heavy work,such as ditching, plowing with gang-plows, 8250.

To enable those skilled in the' art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

.A represents a horizontal rectangular frame,

I the back part of which is supported by a drum,

B,which extends the whole width of the frame,

and has its axis at right angles with it at all the upper part of whichis connected by a king-bolt, Gr,- to a curved cross-bar, H, whichconnectsthe front ends of the side pieces of the frame A.

The lower ends of the yoke or bow frame F have each a rod, I, attachedat right angles.

" These rods I extend back a requisite distance,

and are attached to the ends of a segmentrack, J, which has a slot, 1),in it nearly its whole length. The segment-rack J is a portion of acircle of which the king-bolt G is the center.

In the front part of the frame A, just back of the segment-rack J, thereis placed a horizontal shaft, K, which has a screw, L, on it. This screwL gears into the segment rack J, and the latter is guided and retainedin proper position by means of a friction-roller, c, which is attachedto a bar, d, and is fitted in the slot 1) of the rack J. (See Fig. 2.)has a pulley,e, on it at one end,around which and a pulley, f, on ashaft,M,a belt, 9, passes. The shaft M is provided with a hand-wheel, N,at one end.

Ois a steam -boiler of the upright form, placed at the front part of theframe A. This boiler is designed to generate steam for engines, thepistons and connecting-rods of which communicate motion toashaft,P,through the medium of crank-wheels h, the shaft P being at theback part of the frame A. This shaft P has toothed wheels Q Q upon it,one near each end, which wheels gear into wheels R R on a shaft, S,thejournals of which are fitted in sliding or movable bearings T T. Thebearings T T are of segment form, and are fitted in segmentguides U U ateach side of the frame A, said guides U being portions of circles ofwhich the shaft P is the center. Fig. 1.)

Each bearing T has a lever, V, attached to it, and the lower ends ofsaid levers rest on the shaft P. To the upper end of each leverV thereis connected a rod, W. These rods W extend back to the front part of.the drum B, and are attached to the ends of arms t i on a shaft, X,which has a lever, Y, on one or both ends of it, said levers beingprovided with a pawl, Z, which may be made to catch into any one ofthree notches, j, in segment-bars k at the sides of the frame A.

At the back end of the frame A there are two uprights,l l, one at eachside,and to these uprights the bearings m of the shafts of rollers Z Zare attached. The rollers ZZfform a Windlass, and are placed one overthe other in the same axial plane, and they are connected at one end bygears n n. The lower roller, Z, has a gear at both ends, said gearsbeing in line with the wheels R R on the shaft S, the

wheels B being also in line with the toothed rims G of the drum B. Therollers Z Z are grooved spirally, and have ropes or chains A A attachedto them The shaft K (See I at one end, the rope or chain of one rollerbeing wound around it in a direction opposite to that of the other, andthe two ropes or chains attach ed to their respective rollers atopposite ends. The ropes or chains work or fit in the grooves of therollers Z Z, the rope or chain A of the upper roller, Z, being attacheddirectly to a horizontal rhomboidal frame, B, and the rope or chain A ofthe lower drum, Z, being attached to a screw-rod, G, which is fittedhorizontally in the frame B, and rendered capable of being adjustedlongitudinally therein by means of a nut, D, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

To each side of the frame A of the machine there is attached. by a bolt,0, a spud, E. These spuds may be of any proper or desired length, andtheir back ends are forked, as shown at p, the bolts 0 passing throughtheir front ends. The spuds, when not in use, are held up free from theground by means of chains q, the links of which catch on hooks at thesides of the frame A. i

The horizontal rhomboidal frame B has plows attached to it. These plowsmay be arranged in gang form to plow for the cultivation of crops; orthey may be arranged in a diffferent way and so constructed as to formditches and trenches. Difierentforms of plows may be attached to theframe B as the nature of the work requires, and said frame may besupported by one or more adjustable wheels, F.

The operation of the machine is as follows: When the device is to betransported from placeto place it is simply a traction-engine, theplow-frame B being detached from the frame A or being elevated on itsrollers F, so that its plows may be above the surface of the ground. Theoperator, by adjusting the lever 'in the lowest notches, j, of thesegments k.

The drum B has sufficient traction to propel the machine. The spuds Eare also elevated above the surface of the ground when the ma chine isused simply as a traction-engine.-

The machine is guided by turning the front roller, D, either to theright or left through the medium of the shaft M, belt 9, shaft K, screwL, and segment-rack J. This arrangement of parts forms a very efficientmeans for turning or guiding the machine, enabling the work to be donewith great facility and ease.

When the machine is to perform its legitimate work-to wit, plowing orditching-the engine is used as a stationary one, the spuds E being letdown at both sides of the machine, so that their forked ends 1) willpenetrate the earth, as shown in Fig. 1. The frame B, with its plowsattached, is some distance back of' .the machine, said distance beingequal to the length of the ropes or chains A A. The operator orattendant actuates the lever or levers Y, throws the wheels R It in gearwith the wheels of the lower roller, Z, and the two rollers Z Z willtherefore be simultaneously rotated and the ropes or chains A A woundupon them, the frame B with its plows being drawn up to the machinewhile the latter is held stationary by the spuds E. By this arrangementit will be seen that the whole of the power is applied directly to theplows and that no power is lost by propelling the machine along with theplows. The machine also, it will be seen, may be made quite light, asweight is not required to obtain a requisite degree of traction, as inthe ordinary steam plowing-machine.

After the frame B has been drawn up to the machine the spuds E areelevated and the wheels R R thrown into gear with the toothed rims O Gof the drum B. The machine is thereby again converted into atraction-engine and moves along, leaving the frame B with its plowsremaining in their tracks or furrows. When the machine has moved along adistance equal to the length of the ropes or chains A A it is stopped bythrowing the wheels R It out of gear with the toothed rims (J C, but notin gear with the wheels of the lower roller, Z. The spuds E are thenlowered and made to catch into the ground, and the wheels R R throwninto gear with the wheels of the lower roller, Z. Thus the frame will beagain drawn forward to the machine.

The invention as a whole is extremely simple and efficient, and answersadmirably for heavy work, such as ditching and deep plowing. The machinemay be managed by persons of ordinary ability, there being no complicated parts to operate by hand and but little manipulation required.

By adjusting the bar 0 longitudinally in the frame B the latter may beadjusted more or less angularly or obliquely with the machine, ascircumstances may require, all that is necessary in order to adjust thebar 0 being the turning of the nut D.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, for the purpose of plowing, ditching, &;c., bysteam, of a stationary and traction engine, Windlass attachment, andplow-frame, substantially as set forth.

2. The peculiar arrangement of the geared drum B, shifting wheels R R,and geared rollers Z Z, which form a Windlass, substantially as hereinshown and described, for the purpose of readily changing the engine froma traction to a stationary one, and vice versa, when said Windlass andengine are used incombination with plows,for the purpose specified.

3. The adjustable draft-bar C of the frame B,arranged, substantially asshown, to admit of the adjusting of the frame B, for the pur posedescribed.

J. W. FAWKES. Witnesses:

A. B. BUNN, O. M. BRAD'r.

